Domain Michel Bouzereau | The craftsman of Meursault

Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau, Michel Bouzereau’s son, has been growing wines in Meursault for 20 years. He’s the 7th generation of winemakers and managed to transform his domain into one of the unmissable of the appellation. His vineyard inheritance is quite impressive; his philosophy can be summarized as craftsman work driven by farmer’s good sense.

The Bouzereau family has been growing vines in Meursault for 7 generations and Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau has been managing it for 20 years. Unlike many of his peers, he shares his passion openly. According to him, most of the work is done in the vineyards: the quality of the grape is the key of winemaking. Grape needs to be picked when it’s fully ripped and tasty. No need to harvest sooner to keep the freshness. “A Meursault isn’t a Riesling” as he says. His aim is to balance its natural richness with minerality. Despite the heatwaves, no use to harvest too soon, you must harvest just on time.

What Bouzereau likes tasting, you can find it in his wines. Delicacy, elegance and precision complete a perfect balance thanks to fully ripened grapes. The challenge is combining freshness and maturity to get both body and complexity. Obtaining such beautiful Meusault means perfectly mastering the oak maturation. After a 16 to 18 months oak maturation (depending on the vintage), his wines are one of the greats of the appellation: perfect expression of the terroir with an exceptional body and balance.

Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau always specify that the village of Meursault is located between Puligny-Montrachet, Volnay, Monthélie and Auxey-Duresses. When you know the specificity of each appellation, you better understand the diversity of soils, exposures and grape plantings. From this basic assessment, he specifies that wine must be the reflect of the terroir without being a caricature: no excessive minerality, nor over richness. Just the terroir, nothing but the terroir! That’s why, vine observation is necessarily prior to a minimalist winemaking and maturation.

The crown jewels of the domain are Les Caillerers (Puligny-Montrachet) and Les Perrières (Meursault). The first parcel lies straight after the Montrachet Grand Cru and challenges easily its famous neighbors with its geology (and much lower prices). The second climat is usually compared to a natural grand cru of Meursault. Docteur Jules Lavalle ranked it Burgundy Second Cru, right after Montrachet in his book Story of Vineyard Statistics and Grands Vins of côte d’Or (published in 1855). We must confess that even Les Perrières don’t have the same density and granularity texture as a Montrachet, its mineral vivacity is simply unique. Discrete when drunken too young, you must keep his wines to enjoy their energy and enchanting aromas. Wine lovers, we urge you to be patient!

Another prestigious climat deserves a special attention: Les Tessons. Ranked as village, it has much more in common with the Premiers Crus next door than with many other village crus.

If our previous words weren’t enough, we repeat it: this domain is a must-have. A careful and as natural as possible (even if there is no certification) wine growing, a minimalist winemaking and an exceptional estate. Thanks to his hard-work, Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau has managed to enter the ultra-selective circle of the 3*** of the RVF, with Coche-Dury, Comtes Lafon and Roulot.

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What the guides say about domain Michel Bouzereau

La Revue du Vin de France

Domain Michel Bouzereau et Fils is in Meursault, Burgundy. It has been owned by the family for 7 generations. His neighbors are Caillot, Albert Grivault and Fichet. This domain mainly produces white wines from Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet with Chardonnay but also some red wines from Volnay and Beaune with Pinot Noir. To sum up the techniques: hand-harvests, 16 to 18 months oak-maturation in old barriques. In 1999, Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau started to manage the family vineyard after a 10-year training with his father.

Guide Vert – 3*

For a few vintages, we are delighted with the domain Bouzereau consistency and precise style. Drinkable, elegant and full-bodied, they are ageing with a unique harmony. The domain owns small parcels of beautiful climats of the area. He vinifies his white wines with great precision and knows how to adapt to each vintage specificity. Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau is looking for elegance and purity. You won’t find any caricatural grilled and reductive notes you may associate with Meursault.

Bettane+Desseauve 2019 – 3*

Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau has been managing the family vineyard for 25 years, even if it’s still named after his dad’s name. A new wine cellar was inaugurated in 2009; now the wines can mature for 2 winters.